Improved stone-cutting machine



' UNTTED STATES GEORGE J. VVARDWELL, OF COATICOOK, CANADA.

PATENT OFFICE.

IMPROVED STONE-CUTTING MACHINE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 40,5811, dated November10, 1863.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEo. J. WARDWELL,

` formerly of Andover, in the county of Oxford and State of Maine, butnow of Coaticook, in the county of Stanstead and Province of Canada,have invented a new and useful improvement on a Machine for CuttingStone; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, andexact descriptionof the construction and operation of the same,reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this'specification, in which- Figure l is afront side elevation. Fig. 2 isavertical view. Fig. 3 is an elevated rear end section. Fig. 4 is a sideview of cutter or drill. Fig.5 is` an edge view of thesame. Fig. 6 is aside View of the gang of cutters or drills, with clamps andguide-blocks. Fig. 7 is a view of inside surface of headguide block.Fig. 8 is a view of inside surface of foot-guide block. Fig. 9 is a sideview of slotted feedplate, connecting-rod', vibrating lever, and itsfeed-fingers.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of theseveral figures.

A is the frame of machine.

B is the bed-frame, to which the rails or track is secured for themachine to move on.

C is the feed'rail, furnished with a toothed rack on the inside.

D is the off rail.

E is the main drivin g-shaft, one end of which is hung in a pivot box orbearing, h. Said driving-shaft carries a pulley, F, on outside of frameand-back side of machine. Said shaft also carries a pulley, G and pinionH on inside.

Iis the cam-shaft, situated forward and lower than main shaft, carryingcam J on outside and gear-wheel K on inside of frame, which receivesmotion from main-shaft by means of pinion G.

N is a small shaft, situated forward of camshaft, to the ends of whichare attached the levers O and P. The lever P is connected With thesliding bearing i of main shaft by the rod Q. The object of these leversand connecting-rod is to throw main shaft into and out of gear withcam-shaft.

R are two standards, each furnished with two V-shaped guides on theirinner surfaces, on which the guide-blocks T and U, with the gang ofcutters or drills S, move. Said standards are situated near forward endot' machine, one of which is permanently attached to outside of frame,While the other is made adjustable, and after removing cap-plate X canbe swung from its position for putting in or taking out a gang ofdrills, and for making any other changes with drills that may berequired in operating the machine. The top ends of each cutter or drillS have their sides corrugated crosswise, as represented in Figs. 4 and5. The guide-blocks T at head of cutters or drills have a portion oftheir inner surfaces corrugated to correspond with the corrugations onside of drills. (See Fig. 7.) The outside of said guide-blocks arefurnished With grooves that work on the V-shaped guides on thestandards. A guide block is placed on each side of the drills, andbolted together by means of the three bolts a. They are then vfirmlycompressed edgewise by means of the tWo clamp-rods or bolts b andpacking-block c. The foot-guide blocks U have no corrugations on theirinner surfaces, but in other respects are like the head-blocks, beingbolted and clamped together in the saine manner as represented in Fig.6.

The object of corrugations in side of drills and the corresponding oneson the inner surface of the head-guide blocks is to prevent the drillsfrom changing their position relative to each other when the gang of'drills have been properly adjusted. At the same timeit does not limitany one drill to a particular place in the gang, as each can be lturnedround, transposed, or made shorter by sharpening and repairs, therebyallowing drills of different lengths to be used in any place in thegang.

Thel number of drills is not necessarily limited to three, as' any othernumber may be used, as the size or capacity of the machine may require.

The drills are intended to be so arranged in relation to each other thatthe cutting-point of each shall be lower than the one preceding it.

The foot-guide blocks are intended to be used as near the lower end ofthe standards as may be, and are to be loosened and secured higher asthe drills work deeper in the cut or trench.77 4

V is a clasp that embraces the drills, and

' lower end.

occupying a place above the foot-guide blocks and below the end of beamM, and is secured in position by a set-screw or bolt. -Said clasp isfurnished with a ring, j', at each end, and is connected with theforward end of beam by the strap j", which passes up over the end of thebeam, and is secured to the same by the plate d and bolts e.

L is rocker-shaft, to which is attached the beam M on outside.

Wis a rubber spring, situated under rear end of beam, back ofrocker'shaft, for giving additional force to the fall of the drills.

y is a strap, one end of which is attached to the head-guide blocks, andthe other end passes under the plate on end ot' beam, and is securedwith strap j for raising the drills. The object of the strap g is tolcommunicate the force of the rubber spring to the drills.

Y is the feed-shaft, situated near rea-r end of machine, carrying theratchet-wheels la and I, gear-wheel m', and beveled pinion n.

Z is a vertical shaft carrying the beveled gear-wheel o at top end andpinion P at Said pinion works in the t eeth of rack on sideof rail ortrack.

q is a slotted plate, attached to rockershaft, for giving motion to theratchet-wheels, and is what I'term a double-acting feed arm or plate.77

r is a vibrating lever, the lower end working loosely on feedshaftbetween the ratchetwheels. The upper end of said lever is furnished withtwo fingers, s andi', each intended to work in the teeth of theirrespective ratchet-wheels, as occasion may require.

a is a connecting rod or bar, one end of which is attached to aprojection 011 edge of vibrating lever, and thevothcr end to a stud orholt, b, secured in the slot of the doubleacting feed arm or plate. (SeeFig. 9.)

e is a stay-linger, hung loosely on rockershaft, and works in the teethot' ratchetwheel 7c.

to is a stay-finger attached to rear end of frame, and is intended towork in teeth of ratchetwheel I. Each of said stay-fingers is used asoccasion may require.

nu is a gear-wheel attached to a lever on I back side of machine, and isthrown into gear with pinion G on main shaft and gear-wheel m onfeed-shaft, when it is desirable to run the machine back without workingthe drills after having made a forward run.

y is a revolving fan at forward end of machine, driven by pulley H onmain shaft. Said fan is for blowing chips and dust from under thedrills.

z' is a rod in front of drills, with an eye or loop in lower end forreceiving the nozzle of wind-pipe and giving direction to the same. Saidrod is raised or lowered as the depth of the trench may require.

The machine is driven by a steam-engine mounted on the same track, andattached to the rear. end of machine, and moves with it.

`face of ratchet-wheel I', the engine is started,

causing the main shaft E to revolve, and by means of the pinion G andgear-wheel K motion is communicated to cam-shaft l, causing the sainewith the cam J to revolve, the forward part of beam M resting on theface ot' the camis raised, together with the drills S, guide-blocks Tand U and clasp V, at the same time the rubber spring W under rear endof beam is compressed, the rocker-shaft L, with thedouble-acting feedarm or plate g', makes a partial revolution,the motion of which iscommunicated to vibrating lever r with its feed-lingers s and t', theend of feed-finger s catching inthe teeth of ratchet-wheel I causes thesame with the feed-shaft Y,vertical shaft Z, with its pinion P', workingin teeth of rack on side of rail C, to make a partial revolution,thereby causing the machine, with the engine, te move forward on thetrack or'rails. After the drills have been raised to their highestelevation, they are immediatly forced downward by the action of therubber spring W, thereby bringing the lower ends or cuttingpoints ofdrills S in contact with the stone or surface to be cut. As the drillsare rising the wind created by the revolving fan y removes the chips anddust from the cutting-surface. These motions are repeated until themachine has traveled the required distance. The machine is stopped bythrowing the pinion G out of gear.

ln order to adjust the machine for cutting in the opposite direction,the cap-plate X is removed, the outside standards is swung from itsposition, the straps g and f are loosened, and the gang of drills turnedso as to hold an opposite position. The straps, standard, and cap-plateare then properly adjusted, the feed and stay fingers s and e are raisedoff the ratchet-wheel k', and the feed and stay fingers t' and fw areplaced so as to work in theteeth of ratchet-wheel I', the stud or bolt bin the slot of double-acting feed arm or plate is loosened and moved tothe lower end of slot, which will reverse the motion of vibrating leverfr, (see Fig.A 3 in red.) The machine can now be started, thefeed-finger t, working in teeth of ratch et-wheel I', causes the feedand vertical shafts Y and Z, with their gears and pinions 'in' n o p',to make a partial revolution and the machine to move (while drills arebeing raised) in an opposite direction.

The nature of my invention consists in the peculiar construction of amachine for cutting trenches in stone-quaries, such work having beendone heretofore by hand, and in its present stage of development, I havebeen able to do the Work of eleven men per day, at a great saving ofexpense, While the sides of the trenches cut by my machine are straightand smooth as a sawed surface, thereby effecting a saving in stock ascompared With trenches cut by the hand process. Its advantages overmachines intended to do'the same Work consist in being able to cut theWall-trenches by operatin g the cutters or drills on the outside of theframe of machine and track on which it moves, also the convenience ofchanging the cutters or drills by allowing the outside standard to swingfrom its position, and being so arranged as to allow the machine to cutboth Ways, thereby keeping the machine more dilligently at Work.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. The guide-blocks T and U', packingblocks C', bolts a', clamp rods orbolts b', arranged and combined as herein specified.

2. The corrugations on side of cutters or drills S, and correspondingcorrugations on the inner surfaces of head-guide blocks T, packing-blockC', bolts c', clamp-rods or bolts b', as arranged and combined foreffecting the objects speciiied.

3. The dcuble'acting feed arm or plate g', connecting-rodU,vibratingle\f'er 1^', combined and arranged in the manner and for thepurpose herein described.

4. The standards R, arranged on outside of frame A, in the manner andfor the objects specified.

GEO. J. WARDWELL. Witnesses JOHN H. BOWMAN, N. C. DYE.

